Saturday was the Ohio Randonneurs 200K Brevet. 40 riders left the Motel 6 in Grove city for the 127 mile round trip ride to Tar Hollow State Park and back.

It was cold at 7:00. The forecast was for sunny skies and north-northwest winds. Sunny skies was a good thing. Wind from that direction on that route meant we’d be facing a headwind for much of the final third of the route.

As the group rolled out with a nice tailwind, the pace quickly picked up and we made great time in the flats. The smaller hills started before we got to the first control in Oakland and the crowd thinned out quickly as we started into the big hills in the middle of the route.


I found myself riding with (or at least near) Joe Giampapa and Steve Glowacki. Joe and I talked about the fact that Steve could have ridden away from us at any time and we took comfort from the fact that he was less than half the age of either one of us.

In that middle section we climbed Julian, Young/Middlefork, Buena Vista and Rock House before stopping at the Laurelville control and then Rt. 327, Tar Hollow and Thorton Spung before we got back to the flats and the wind.

I rode much of the next section alone but could see Joe just up the road. I was tired, but felt pretty good. I was keeping up my calorie intake but, as is typical for me, I’m sure I could have taken in more fluids.

The last control in Kingston was a welcome break from the wind and we were lucky enough to pick up a couple of additional riders for the final push back to the finish. With the help of a 5 person pace line, we made it back to the hotel with a total time of 7:52, a personal best for me for a 200K (by 7 minutes).

I had thought I might want to try the 300K, but I think that might be more than I want to tackle. It’s only 2 weeks away and I felt pretty drained by tis ride. But, I have a few days to decide.

Filed under: Ride Notes